Guest lecturers from various organisations have appealed to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin to withdraw various government orders that they say go against their rights, and to adopt the formula for lecturer appointments that was introduced during former CM M. Karunanidhi’s tenure.
The lecturers want the State Higher Education Department to follow an order it issued in March 2020, based on the State government’s assurance to the Madras High Court that all candidates who were qualified as per the then University Grants Commission norms would be appointed, complying with the court order.
The State government had given an undertaking in 2010 based on which on March 21, 2020 the then ruling government issued GO No. 56. Subsequent court verdicts had ordered the government to allocate 1,146 posts set aside for this purpose to eligible candidates, the Federation of Guest Lecturers of Tamil Nadu Government Arts and Science Colleges and Colleges of Education pointed out in a statement on Monday.
Based on the court order, the previous government took up certificate verification. “We are asking for all those guest lecturers whose certificates have been scrutinised as per GO 56, to be appointed as permanent faculty. All those who have qualified till date should also be included as permanent faculty,” the statement said.
The Federation pointed out that as per the Indian government’s equal-pay-for-equal-work rule they should be paid ₹57, 700 or ₹50,000 as salary as per Seventh Pay Commission. Instead, they are paid only ₹15,000 to ₹20,000, that too for just 11 months. They are denied salary for leave as well, the members pointed out. The Federation also demanded that the Higher Education Department pay the pending UGC scale pay of around ₹30 lakh due to the guest lecturers.
As many as 1,900 guest lecturers of the 5,303 working in the 167 government arts and science colleges are qualified as per the 2009 UGC norms. Those in the process of getting their required qualification must be given time to complete their course work, the members have said.
The Federation also wanted G.O.s 246, 247 and 248, issued recently by the Higher Education Department withdrawn. These orders, the Federation said, deny the lecturers weightage marks based on their experience. The Federation also demanded that the State unconditionally appoint the guest lecturers currently employed in the 41 constituent colleges as government employees.
